1. 4 - 1 Systems Analysis and Design, 2 nd Edition Alan Dennis and Barbara Haley Wixom John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Slides by Roberta M. Roth University of Northern Iowa

2. 4 - 2 Requirements Determination Chapter 4 Jerry Fjermestad

3. 4 - 3 Key Definitions The As-Is system is the current system and may or may not be computerized The To-Be system is the new system that is based on updated requirements The System Proposal is the key deliverable from the Analysis Phase

4. 4 - 4 Key Ideas The goal of the analysis phase is to truly understand the requirements of the new system and develop a system that addresses them -- or decide a new system isn’t needed. The System Proposal is presented to the approval committee via a system walk-through. Systems analysis incorporates initial systems design. Requirements determination is the single most critical step of the entire SDLC.

5. 4 - 5 REQUIREMENTS DETERMINATION

6. 4 - 6 A statement of what the system must do A statement of characteristics the system must have Focus is on business user needs during analysis phase Requirements will change over time as project moves from analysis to design to implementation What is a Requirement?

7. 4 - 7 Functional Requirements A process the system hast to perform Information the system must contain Nonfunctional Requirements Behavioral properties the system must have Operational Performance Security Cultural and political Requirement Types

8. 4 - 8 Requirements definition report Text document listing requirements in outline form Priorities may be included Key purpose is to define the project scope: what is and is not to be included. Documenting Requirements

9. 4 - 9 Determining Requirements Participation by business users is essential Three techniques help users discover their needs for the new system: Business Process Automation (BPA) Business Process Improvement (BPI) Business Process Reengineering (BPR)

10. 4 - 10 Basic Process of Analysis (Determining Requirements) Understand the “As-Is” system Identify improvement opportunities Develop the “To-Be” system concept Techniques vary in amount of change BPA – small change BPI – moderate change BPR – significant change Additional information gathering techniques are needed as well

11. 4 - 11 REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES

12. 4 - 12 Business Process Automation Goal: Efficiency for users

13. 4 - 13 Identifying Improvements in As-Is Systems Problem Analysis Ask users to identify problems and solutions Improvements tend to be small and incremental Rarely finds improvements with significant business value Root Cause Analysis Challenge assumptions about why problem exists Trace symptoms to their causes to discover the “real” problem

14. 4 - 14 Root Cause Analysis Example

15. 4 - 15 Business Process Improvement Goal: Efficiency and effectiveness for users

16. 4 - 16 Duration Analysis Calculate time needed for each process step Calculate time needed for overall process Compare the two – a large difference indicates a badly fragmented process Potential solutions: Process integration – change the process to use fewer people, each with broader responsibilities Parallelization – change the process so that individual step are performed simultaneously

17. 4 - 17 Activity-Based Costing Calculate cost of each process step Consider both direct and indirect costs Identify most costly steps and focus improvement efforts on them

18. 4 - 18 Benchmarking Studying how other organizations perform the same business process Informal benchmarking Common for customer- facing processes Interact with other business’ processes as if you are a customer

19. 4 - 19 Business Process Reengineering Goal: Radical redesign of business processes

20. 4 - 20 Outcome Analysis Consider desirable outcomes from customers’ perspective Consider what the organization could enable the customer to do

21. 4 - 21 Technology Analysis Analysts list important and interesting technologies Managers list important and interesting technologies The group identifies how each might be applied to the business and how the business might benefit

22. 4 - 22 Activity Elimination Identify what would happen if each organizational activity were eliminated Use “force-fit” to test all possibilities

23. 4 - 23 Your Turn How do you know whether to use business process automation, business process improvement, or business process reengineering? Provide two examples.

24. 4 - 24 Selecting an Analysis Technique Potential business value Project cost Breadth of analysis Risk

25. 4 - 25 Characteristics of Analysis Techniques BusinessBusinessBusiness ProcessProcessProcess AutomationImprovementReeingineering Potential BusinessLow-ModerateModerateHigh Value Project CostLowLow-ModerateHigh Breadth of AnalysisNarrowNarrow-ModerateVery Broad RiskLow-ModerateLow-ModerateVery High

26. 4 - 26 REQUIREMENTS- GATHERING TECHNIQUES

27. 4 - 27 Interviews Most commonly used technique Basic steps: Selecting Interviewees Designing Interview Questions Preparing for the Interview Conducting the Interview Post-Interview Follow-up

28. 4 - 28 Selecting Interviewees Based on information needs Best to get different perspectives Managers Users Ideally, all key stakeholders Keep organizational politics in mind

29. 4 - 29 Types of Questions Examples Closed-Ended Questions* How many telephone orders are received per day? * How do customers place orders? * What additional information would you like the new system to provide? Open-Ended Questions* What do you think about the current system? * What are some of the problems you face on a daily basis? * How do you decide what types of marketing campaign to run? Probing Questions* Why? * Can you give me an example? * Can you explain that in a bit more detail?

30. 4 - 30 Organizing Interview Questions Unstructured interview useful early in information gathering Goal is broad, roughly defined information Structured interview useful later in process Goal is very specific information

31. 4 - 31 Structuring the Interview High Level: Very General Medium-Level: Moderately Specific Low-Level: Very Specific TOP DOWN BOTTOM UP EXAMPLES?

32. 4 - 32 Interview Preparation Steps Prepare general interview plan List of question Anticipated answers and follow-ups Confirm areas of knowledge Set priorities in case of time shortage Prepare the interviewee Schedule Inform of reason for interview Inform of areas of discussion

33. 4 - 33 Conducting the Interview Appear professional and unbiased Record all information Check on organizational policy regarding tape recording Be sure you understand all issues and terms Separate facts from opinions Give interviewee time to ask questions Be sure to thank the interviewee End on time

34. 4 - 34 Conducting the Interview Practical Tips Take time to build rapport Pay attention Summarize key points Be succinct Be honest Watch body language

35. 4 - 35 Post-Interview Follow-Up Prepare interview notes Prepare interview report Have interviewee review and confirm interview report Look for gaps and new questions

36. 4 - 36 Joint Application Development A structured group process focused on determining requirements Involves project team, users, and management working together May reduce scope creep by 50% Very useful technique

37. 4 - 37 JAD Participants Facilitator Trained in JAD techniques Sets agenda and guides group processes Scribe(s) Record content of JAD sessions Users and managers from business area with broad and detailed knowledge

38. 4 - 38 JAD Sessions Time commitment – ½ day to several weeks Strong management support is needed to release key participants from their usual responsibilities Careful planning is essential e-JAD can help alleviate some problems inherent with groups

39. 4 - 39 JAD Meeting Room JPEG Figure 5-5 Goes Here

40. 4 - 40 The JAD Session Formal agenda and ground rules Top-down structure most successful Facilitator activities Keep session on track Help with technical terms and jargon Record group input Stay neutral, but help resolve issues Post-session follow-up report

41. 4 - 41 Managing Problems in JAD Sessions Reducing domination Encouraging non-contributors Side discussions Agenda merry-go-round Violent agreement Unresolved conflict True conflict Use humor

42. 4 - 42 JAD JAD origins: IBM late 1970's has flourished outside of the academic community (like Case)

43. 4 - 43 JAD The Generations of JAD From Carnel, Et Al., (1993) CACM, 36(4) 40-48

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46. 4 - 46 Questionnaires A set of written questions, often sent to a large number of people May be paper-based or electronic Select participants using samples of the population Design the questions for clarity and ease of analysis Administer the questionnaire and take steps to get a good response rate Questionnaire follow-up report

47. 4 - 47 Good Questionnaire Design Begin with non-threatening and interesting questions Group items into logically coherent sections Do not put important items at the very end of the questionnaire Do not crowd a page with too many items Avoid abbreviations Avoid biased or suggestive items or terms Number questions to avoid confusion Pretest the questionnaire to identify confusing questions Provide anonymity to respondents

48. 4 - 48 Document Analysis Study of existing material describing the current system Forms, reports, policy manuals, organization charts describe the formal system Look for the informal system in user additions to forms/report and unused form/report elements User changes to existing forms/reports or non-use of existing forms/reports suggest the system needs modification

49. 4 - 49 Observation Watch processes being performed Users/managers often don’t accurately recall everything they do Checks validity of information gathered other ways Be aware that behaviors change when people are watched Be unobtrusive Identify peak and lull periods

50. 4 - 50 Selecting the Appropriate Requirements-Gathering Techniques Type of information Depth of information Breadth of information Integration of information User involvement Cost Combining techniques

51. 4 - 51 Selecting the Appropriate Techniques Interviews JAD Questionnaires Document Observation Analysis Type of As-Is As-Is As-Is As-Is As-Is Information Improve. Improve. Improve. To-Be To-Be Depth of High High Medium Low Low Information Breadth of Low Medium High High Low Information Integration Low High Low Low Low of Info. User Medium High Low Low Low Involvement Cost Medium Low- Low Low Low- Medium Medium

52. 4 - 52 Summary The analysis process focuses on capturing the business requirements for the system Functional and non-functional business requirements tell what the system must do Three main requirements analysis techniques are BPA, BPI, and BPR These techniques vary in potential business value, but also in potential cost and risk

53. 4 - 53 Summary, continued There are five major requirements- gathering techniques that all systems analysts must be able to use: Interviews, JAD, Questionnaires, Document Analysis, and Observation. Systems analysts must also know how and when to use each as well as how to combine methods.